Cited by 1,648Stress and Burnout ResearchJob Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorWorkplace Health and Well-being

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 129 of the 129 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 8 of the 136 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Job Demands—Resources theory and self-regulation: New explanations and remedies for job burnout

Open access
Bakker, Arnold B., de Vries, Juriena D.·2021·Anxiety, Stress, & Coping

Abstract

Background: High job demands and low job resources may cause job strain and eventually result in burnout. However, previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation.Objectives: This theoretical article synthesizes the literature to propose a multilevel model that delineates how acute job strain translates into enduring and severe job burnout.Methods: We integrate self-regulation perspectives in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory to propose that short-term job strain and eventually enduring burnout is the result of consistently high job demands and low job resources – combined with failed self-regulation.Results: The model shows that when employees are confronted with increased job strain, they are more likely to use maladaptive self-regulation strategies, such as coping inflexibility and self-undermining. In addition, when job strain increases, employees are less likely to use adaptive self-regulation strategies, such as job stress recovery and job crafting. It follows that when the job becomes more stressful, stable resources become more important. Organizational resources such as human resource practices and healthy leadership may help employees to regulate their short-term fatigue and avoid enduring burnout. Furthermore, key personal resources like emotional intelligence and proactive personality may help employees to recognize and regulate their fatigue in an effective way.Conclusion: The proposed model of burnout expands JD-R theory and offers important practical implications for the prevention and reduction of burnout.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This theoretical article integrates Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory with self-regulation to propose a multilevel model in which high job demands and low job resources, combined with failed self-regulation, translate acute job strain into enduring burnout. It proposes organizational resources (HR practices, healthy leadership) and key personal resources (emotional intelligence, proactive personality) as remedies.

Key findings

  • Burnout is conceptualized as chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy; it is caused by high job demands and low job resources, with job resources buffering the demands–burnout link (e.g., Bakker et al., 2005).
  • The model proposes that increasing job strain leads to more maladaptive self-regulation (coping inflexibility, self-undermining) and less adaptive self-regulation (recovery, job crafting), creating feedback loops that accumulate strain into enduring burnout (Propositions 1–10).
  • Remedies include HR practices (monitoring, recovery training, job crafting training, personnel selection) and healthy/transformational/empowering/autonomy-supportive leadership, plus key personal resources such as emotional intelligence and proactive personality (Propositions 11–16).
  • Cited intervention meta-analyses show small effects: Maricuţoiu et al. (2016) found effects on exhaustion d = .17, general burnout d = .22, cynicism d = .04, and reduced professional efficacy d = −.02; Dreison et al. (2018) found Hedges’ g = .13; Panagioti et al. (2017) found d = 0.31; West et al. (2016) reported individual-focused z = 3.74 and organizational z = 3.36.

Methods

  • Theoretical article: synthesizes JD-R, coping, and self-regulation literatures to propose a multilevel model of burnout; no primary data are collected.
  • Reviews prior burnout causes, consequences, and intervention meta-analyses, then formulates 17 propositions and presents Figure 1 with maladaptive and adaptive regulation feedback loops.
  • Main analysis is conceptual integration; the paper calls for future research using repeated short-term and long-term assessments, including measurement-burst designs.

Limitations

  • The paper states the list of self-regulation strategies is not exhaustive, stable organizational or personal demands are not included, and future research is needed on timing/tipping points and how long burnout takes to develop.
  • The paper states most burnout research is cross-sectional and focused on relatively healthy employees with mild symptoms, making the development of burnout unclear; intervention effects are usually small and often do not address structural causes.
  • Evident from the text: as a theoretical article, the proposed propositions are not empirically tested here, and there is no primary sample or statistical analysis.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1080/10615806.2020.1797695

Cites

129 of 129 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

83 Own interpretation · 49 No full text of the sources · 29 Not checked yet · 21 Sources not found · 4 Partly supported · 2 Supported · 2 Couldn’t confirm · 1 No basis given · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 17 references — free account

Show all 106 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 57
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 33
85 of 85
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation.

    “However, previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most burnout studies use suboptimal designs, are overly concerned with the psychometric properties of burnout instruments, and are more descriptive than explanatory.

    “While there are thousands of burnout studies published every year, most studies use suboptimal designs, are overly concerned with the psychometric properties of burnout instruments, and are more descriptive than explanatory.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Employees do not simply react to their leaders and work environment.

    “However, employees do not simply react to their leaders and work environment.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The combination of high daily job demands and low daily resources is responsible for daily job strain, which results in more maladaptive and less adaptive self-regulation cognitions and behaviors.

    “The proposed burnout model assumes that the combination of high daily job demands and low daily resources is responsible for daily job strain, which results in more maladaptive and less adaptive selfregulation cognitions and behaviors.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most burnout research has employed a cross-sectional design.

    “Most burnout research has employed a cross-sectional design, which makes it impossible to learn about the development of burnout.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most research has focused on individuals who are relatively healthy and who only report mild symptoms of burnout.

    “Moreover, most research has focused on individuals who are relatively healthy and who only report mild symptoms of burnout.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The literature is not clear regarding how much time it takes to develop job burnout.

    “First, the literature is not very clear regarding how much time it takes to develop job burnout.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Burnout interventions do not consider the structural causes of burnout in the work environment: high job demands and low job resources.

    “do not consider the structural causes of burnout in the work environment: high job demands and low job resources.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Organizational interventions for burnout are usually limited to job training/education, leadership training, or modifications to work processes.

    “the organizational interventions are usually limited to job training/education, leadership training, or modifications to work processes”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Individual interventions for burnout use mindfulness, stress management, cognitive-behavioral techniques, or relaxation.

    “individual interventions use mindfulness, stress management, cognitive-behavioral techniques, or relaxation”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Burnout interventions have relatively weak effects.

    “the relative weak effects of burnout interventions”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Individual employees may be exposed to different levels of job demands and resources.

    “individual employees may (a) be exposed to different levels of job demands and resources”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Individual employees may be in different stages or phases of job strain / burnout.

    “be in different stages or phases of job strain / burnout”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Individual employees may be more or less successful in using recovery and job crafting strategies.

    “be more or less successful in using recovery and job crafting strategies”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Individual employees may differ in key personal resources, such as emotional intelligence and proactive personality.

    “differ in key personal resources, such as emotional intelligence and proactive personality”
15 of 15

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Citations

Cites

Show all 127 references

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Bakker A. B., 2018, Handbook of well- being, 1
  2. Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E. & Xanthopoulou, D. (2020). Too burned-out to deal with weekly job demands? A multilevel approach of employee well-being, coping, and self-undermining . Manuscript under review.
  3. Bakker A. B., 2019, International Journal of Stress Management
  4. De Beer L. T., 2013, South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39, 1
  5. Stange J. P., 2017, Clinical Psychology, 24, 245

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Items 401–500 of 1,648

Metadata

Authors
Bakker, A. B., & de Vries, J. D.
Affiliations
Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Bakker, Arnold B.
Venue
Anxiety, Stress, & Coping
Published
2020-08-28
Volume
34
Issue
1
Pages
1-21
ISSN
  • 1061-5806 (ISSN-L)
  • 1477-2205
OpenAlex
W3082353819
Cited by
1,131
References
127
Citations by year
2026: 258 · 2025: 238 · 2024: 236 · 2023: 187 · 2022: 146 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 1
FWCI
16.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Anxiety Stress & Coping (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Workplace Health and Well-being
Keywords
burnout, job demands-resources model, self-regulation, job strain, job crafting, emotional intelligence, proactive personality, human resource management practices, leadership, burnout prevention, multilevel models
MeSH terms
Self-Control, Occupational Stress, Adaptation, Psychological, Burnout, Professional, Humans, Job Satisfaction, Surveys and Questionnaires, Workload

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